The AI and the Spartan
by odstpilot
Summary: Chief and Cortana being intimate has interesting consequences.
1. Chapter 1

The AI and the Spartan

Summary: Chief and Cortana being intimate has interesting consequences.

Ch 1

It was early in the morning, and the gym of _Infinity_ was empty, save one. The Spartan-2 known as Master Chief. He was busy going thru various exercises, and was now punching and kicking a training bag.

"Good form, chief." Cortana said, appearing out of nowhere.

"Thanks, Cortana." Chief said.

"How about a spar?" She asked, taking a stance.

Chief raised an eyebrow, and looked at his AI friend.

 _She's really back._

John was devastated after her 'death', when she saved him from the Didact. After that, he and blue team served alongside the S-4s on Requiem. When he realized that the Prometheans they were all fighting were composed humans from New Phoenix, the idea came to his head that Cortana may also have ended up on Requiem.

It was a fools hope, but John was willing to take it, if for the sake of his sanity. He tore across Requiem, leaving death and destruction across his wake. He found her deep inside a facility, inside what the Forerunners called 'the Domain.'

His luck held, as he arrived when she was reborn, in a sense. She was cured of rampancy, and resided in a hard-light body. She felt more human, and was eager to test new things.

"You're on." Chief said, entering a different stance.

Cortana struck first, throwing a fist. John easily intercepted the fist, holding it in his vice-like grip. He grabbed her shoulder and threw her onto the ground, using the momentum to follow her. Cortana then wrapped her legs around his neck and threw him off her. The two stood up again.

"Good. Use your agility against a stronger opponent. Let them wear themselves out." Chief said.

"Unless your opponent is a Spartan. Than you're screwed." Cortana said.

"There's that." Chief smirked.

The two continued their hand to hand sparring, and several S-4s were watching to their amusement.

"Who would have thought. The Spartan and his AI." Palmer said.

"Okay, Cortana. You win." John said.

The Spartans looked and saw Cortana straddling the Chief. John attempted to sit up, only for Cortana to push him back to the ground with his head banging against the hard floor. Cortana grinned as she trailed a fingers down his torso.

She wondered just how many scars he had from the war, from all the fighting he'd done. Chief raised a hand and put it on her cheek.

"What are you thinking about, chief?" Cortana asked.

"He's thinking about boning you!" one of the S-4s rudely said, followed by whistles.

"Chief and Cortana, sitting in a tree! F-U-C-K-I-N-G!" another said.

The two stood up, glaring at the newer Spartans.

 _Spartans. Hilarious. They make rude comments and jokes. Hell, the Chief could take on the entire S-4 corps and win._

"Laugh all you want. At least he's getting laid, unlike you saps." Cortana bitingly said, walking away with the Chief. The stunned looks of the S-4s gave Cortana great satisfaction.

"Was that necessary, Cortana?" Chief asked, walking down the hallway with his friend.

"Yes." She said.

…

"I will say this. Cortana has quite the tongue. Unlike her boyfriend." Palmer said to Lasky.

"What are you talking about?" the captain asked, looking up status reports.

"She pretty much burned one of the Spartans, because he made remarks on how Chief and Cortana are fucking." Palmer said.

Lasky spit out his coffee, with an incredulous look on his face.

"Say what? Palmer, the S-2s had their sex drive reduced thanks to the augmentations. But I wouldn't put it past the two to experiment. Oh god." Lasky said.

"What?" Palmer asked.

"A supersoldier and his AI friend. Now that'll keep the news busy." Lasky said.

"By the way, why did you say boyfriend?" Lasky asked.

…

John wrapped the towel around him, finishing his shower. He went over the differences of the 2s and 4s. He knew most of the 4s came from the marines and ODSTs, hence their behavior. He couldn't help but chuckle at he remembered Cortana's rebuttal.

Putting a spare set of clothes on, he exited the bathroom, and looked at the empty room.

 _Cortana was here a minute ago._

Chief hugged the walls and headed to the bed. Kneeling, he pulled out a case and opened it, revealing a shotgun and some shells. Loading the weapon, he stood up when the hair on the back of his head stood up.

Chief turned around, and saw Cortana standing on front of him.

"Nice to see you, chief." Cortana said, pushing him back on the bed, and tossed the weapon aside.

Cortana sat on John, gazing down at him. Chief pulled Cortana towards him, and kissed her. Cortana's eyes went wide eyed, the sensation new to her. The pulled back from each other, looking at each other.

"So that's what kissing is like." Cortana said, earning an odd look from John.

"You've clearly did your research." John said, putting a hand on her hip.

"I did." Cortana said, lightly blushing.

"Care to share what more research you've done?" John asked.

Cortana gave John a sultry look.

"How about I show you my research." She said, in a salacious tone.

John grinned and saw Cortana lean into him. As the two kissed, she unbuckled his pants and was surprised at him.

"Those augmentations sure are something." Cortana said.

Chief felt himself enter what he assumed to be Cortana's vagina, as she manipulated the hard-light to accommodate him. Chief felt just about everything during his long years as a Spartan, physical to psychological. But this was something new.

Chief took deep breaths and felt Cortana rock her hips back and forth, slowly at first.

"Cortana…" John said, when she kissed him.

"Oh, John." Cortana replied, deep pleasure in her voice. She felt his cock pulse, about to climax. Cortana rode John, the sensation overwhelming her. She had some idea of why it was feeling good, and wanted it to continue.

"Cortana!" John said, as he climaxed. The two held each other tightly, breathing between the two was heard.

"I'm so happy I can do this. Be this close to you." Cortana said.

"Always, Cortana." Chief said, kissing Cortana.

…

"Oh boy." Roland said, as he went thru the ship's security footage.

"What is it, Roland?" Palmer asked, a cup of coffee in her hand.

"This." Roland said, showing the Spartan the footage of John and Cortana. Palmer just stood there, watching the two being intimate.

"I knew the chief cared for Cortana. There's a reason he's called 'the terror of Requiem.' But damn." She said.

"Should we tell the captain?" Roland asked.

"Tell me later. Doctor Halsey will be boarding the ship in a couple of days. She wants to talk to Chief and Cortana." Lasky calmly said.

Roland and Palmer facepalmed, wondering how this would turn out.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2

Doctor Catherine Halsey entered the bridge of Infinity, looking for Captain Lasky.

"Captain, I need to speak to Chief and Cortana." Halsey said.

"What for?" Palmer asked.

"I've heard that Cortana has returned." Halsey said.

"That's classified." Palmer coldly said.

"I don't care. I need to see them." Halsey said.

"Halsey, they are aboard the ship. And here are their quarters. Don't visit at nighttime." Roland said.

"Roland, you're out of line." Lasky said.

"We saw what he did on Requiem. You want that to happen on the ship?" Roland asked.

"What did he do on Requiem?" Halsey asked.

"Tore the place to hell looking for Cortana. Hell, they're joined at the hip." Palmer said.

"Interesting metaphor." Halsey said, walking to John's quarters.

"It's not a metaphor. And if you want to know where they are, they're at the gym." Palmer said.

Entering the gym, she heard the two speak.

"Cortana, I'm a soldier. Not a dancer." Chief said.

"Come on, Chief. Don't tell me you've had some interest." Cortana said.

"Spend most of my life fighting and killing. Not much time for other pursuits." Chief said.

"We'll have to change something about that, won't we?" Cortana asked.

Chief shrugged his shoulders in response. They weren't fighting anyone at the moment, though the covenant remnant was still around.

"The Chief and the AI dancing. Never thought I'd live to see anything like this." Palmer said, as she headed to lift some weights.

Halsey hid herself and watched her two creations dance, as well as a super-soldier and an AI in a hard-light body could. She snuck out and headed to John's quarters. Wondering how her favorite Spartan kept himself busy, she opened a drawer and looked at his PADD, containing what amounted to be journal entries.

 _August, 2558_

 _Can't believe she's gone. We were so close. So fucking close, right in Earth's orbit. If she'd held on a little longer, I could have fixed her. Contacted Halsey, something. I wish… I'm sorry, Cortana. I should have told you I loved you._

 _August, 2558_

 _Me and Blue team are fighting on Requiem, the forerunner shield world. The 4s… are an interesting bunch. We've lead them in dozens of firefights against the forerunner-covenant forces. Anything to keep myself busy at this point._

 _September, 2558_

 _I can't believe it. Roland told me, the captain, and Palmer about his discovery of the knights we've been fighting. I knew they were composed humans, but not from millennia ago. From the New Phoenix attack. But I destroyed the didacts ship, and the composer._

 _Cortana died there. Maybe she's here, somewhere._

 _September, 2558_

 _Palmer… she's a bit of a bitch. I'm doing everything I can to find Cortana, if she's here at all. She thinks I'm nuts. Maybe I have gone insane. But I have to take the opportunity. It may never come again. Lasky's been accommodating to a degree. He's not giving me immense resources, which I understand. It'd probably slow me down._

 _October, 2558_

 _I've found her. I found Cortana. She says she's been in some forerunner thing, called the Domain. She's alive, and cured of her rampancy. She could live forever. I still can't believe it. If this is a dream, I'd rather not wake up._

 _November, 2558_

 _Well, Requiem is destroyed. You can thank that bastard, Jul. I deposited a 7.62 slug in his cranium as a thank-you note. One other note. Cortana clearly wants to try anything with her new hard-light body. And said anything involves me. Not that I mind. She surprised me while I was taking a shower. Hot water mixed with her cool touch doesn't make for good senses._

Halsey put the notes down in shock. The two clearly loved each other. It was not something she planned or had foreseen at all. Using the pad, she pulled up the camera footage of the room, isolating interactions of the Chief and Cortana.

"Oh my." Halsey said, putting her hand to her mouth in surprise. She watched as Cortana and John had sex, and held each other in an intimate embrace.

"Well, our conversation should be interesting." Halsey dryly noted.

Halsey heard the door open, and saw the two walking in. The trio were frozen in their spots, looking at each other.

"Dr. Halsey." John said.

"It's nice to see you again, Chief." Halsey said, with a grin on her face.

Halsey looked to Cortana, seeing the AI who was now as tall as the chief.

"Cortana?" Halsey asked, approaching her.

"Believe me, it's true." Cortana said, as Halsey grabbed her hand.

"How…" Halsey asked.

"Requiem had some technology that brought her back to life. Cured her rampancy." John said.

"So, you two are a couple now." Halsey said.

John locked the door, and glared at Halsey.

"What makes you say that?" He asked.

"First, Lasky, Palmer, and Roland all but confirmed it. Palmer says you two are paired at the hip. I then saw you two dancing, which is cute by the way. And I saw the recording of your nightly activities." Halsey said, smirking at the last part.

Chief and Cortana could only let their jaws drop.

"So, it's true." Halsey said.

"Fuck you, Halsey." Cortana said.

"Just saying. I think it's nice. You two deserve each other." Halsey said.

"Thank you, doctor." John said.

Cortana was in deep thought, when something came to her mind.

"You know I'm based off your mind. So it seems that my attraction to John stems from you." Cortana said.

John and Halsey looked at Cortana, as if she had gone mad.

"Cortana, are you implying I have some physical attraction to John?" Halsey asked.

"Oh shit." John muttered to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3

 _Two days later_

"Well that was interesting." Cortana said.

"You and Dr. Halsey were arguing back and forth about your attraction to me. It was rather unnerving." John said.

"I didn't know the great master chief can be flustered." Cortana teased.

"Up yours, Cortana." Chief said.

On the bridge, Lasky was busy going over plans to attack what was left of the covenant remnant. Since Jul's death, they were easy pickings, and it appeared they were all heading to the Elite home-world.

"One final last stand. Have Lock's fireteam on standby. And get the Chief up here." Lasky said.

Arriving at the bridge, John saluted the captain, who returned said salute.

"Chief, we've been tracking the movements of the Covenant remnant. And they're all heading to Sanghelios." Lasky said.

"Not good. If they get the Arbiter…" John started.

"Our alliance with the Elites is all but finished." Cortana finished.

"Fireteam Osiris will handle the covenant. Chief, you, Palmer, and Halsey are needed for something else." Lasky said.

"What's more important than the covenant?" Chief asked.

"Arbiter told me they've found some forerunner tech. While everyone is fighting the Covenant, he wants you four to investigate, and make sure it doesn't fall into enemy hands." Lasky said.

"I understand." John said.

"Good. One final thing." Halsey said, entering the room, tossing a pad on the holo-table.

"What is it?" Cortana asked.

"Our… I'd like to say ambassador, but I'd rather not." Halsey said.

"Who is it?" John asked.

"Lavernius Tucker. Grade A-asshole, and Casanova wannabe." Halsey said.

"How is he our problem?" Palmer asked.

"He's more interested in sex, than his job as an ambassador." Halsey said.

"Chief, if he hits on me, I reserve the right to kill him." Cortana said.

"If he hits on you, I reserve the right to torture him before you kill him." John added.

"Nice to see I raised you two kids well." Halsey dryly said.

"30 years of war will mess up your mind, mom." Cortana responded with the same wit.

"Nice to know we have a lovely dysfunctional family onboard." Palmer sarcastically said.

Halsey didn't say anything else, but her eyes went downcast, and her shoulders slightly dropped.

…

 _Sanghelios_

"Arbiter could have told us it was in the middle of fucking winter." Palmer said.

"After seeing our planets burn, winter seems like a luxury." Halsey said.

"We might have time for a snowball fight, if anyone wants to." Cortana playfully quipped.

"Everyone, against me." John voiced.

"That's still not enough." Cortana replied.

"If you two are done with your pillow talk, we have an ambassador to visit." Palmer cut in.

Approaching the coordinates of the forerunner artifact, a blip appeared on the chief's radar.

"Contact, up ahead!" John shouted, crouching. He pulled out his pistol and gave it to Halsey.

"It's me! Don't shoot!" Tucker said, walking forward with his arms up.

The team lowered their weapons, and approached Tucker, who was clad in green ODST armor.

"Master Chief, Commander Palmer, and Dr. Halsey. We've been sent to secure the forerunner artifact." John said.

"They didn't send any chicks, bummer. I prefer humans to aliens." Tucker said.

"The artifact. Please." Halsey spat.

"Okay. Man, she's a sour one." Tucker said.

Chief felt like strangling Tucker on the spot. Yet he relented from his impulses. They followed Tucker down a staircase and into a room. Cortana immediately hacked into the forerunner system and was surprised at the find.

"Guys, this is something we've never seen before." Cortana said.

"I knew you guys brought a chick." Tucker said.

Chief let Cortana manifest herself and gave her his shotgun.

"What is it, Cortana?" Halsey asked.

"I don't know much. Something called a guardian. Obviously, it was built to guard something, but what, I don't know." Cortana said.

"Could be a planet defense system." Chief said.

"Maybe. I need more time to study this device. See what we're dealing with." Cortana said.

"Great. So the hot AI gets to do all the boring science shit." Tucker said.

"Cortana, I change my mind. You can kill him right now if you wish. Torture would take more effort than I'm willing to give." Chief said.

Cortana settled on kicking Tucker right in the nuts as hard as she could. Tucker rocked back and forth on the ground, cupping his balls, squealing in a high-pitched voice.

"I wasn't that ruthless when I was your age." Halsey said, as they left Tucker and headed further into the structure.

"Must have got it from the chief." Cortana replied.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4

Entering the structure, Chief and Palmer headed first, rifles raised.

"So, when did you and Cortana realize you loved each other?" Palmer asked.

"That is private and sensitive information, Palmer. What about you and Lasky? Me and Chief have seen the flirting glances and talks between you two." Cortana retorted.

Palmer said nothing in response.

"Cortana, lets leave it for later." John advised.

"Just saying." Cortana said.

Arriving at a terminal, Cortana and Halsey went to work on understanding the guardian device. Palmer and Chief stood guard against enemy threats.

"I thought me and Lasky were being discreet." Palmer whispered.

"Discreet to anyone except a Spartan and an AI." Chief said.

"Well…crap. Don't tell anyone, alright?" Palmer asked.

"Your secret is safe with me and Cortana." John said.

Halsey came back, with a worried look.

"Chief, this Guardian was used by the Forerunners to police worlds and galaxies. It is capable of immense power and destruction. If the covenant were to get a hold of this…" Halsey said.

"I understand." Chief said.

"I managed to shut it down, but only temporarily. The tech is quite advanced." Cortana said.

"You have any ideas, Cortana?" Palmer asked.

"It would be safer for all of us, if we destroy this thing." Cortana said.

"Can't we capture it? Send it to earth?" Palmer asked.

"We don't know what could happen if we try and activate this. For all we know, it could turn its weapons on us. UNSC took the composer from Halo 03, and we all know how that turned out." Cortana said.

"How much will it take to destroy this guardian?" Chief asked.

"A MAC round, at least. Might have the arbiter glass this place." Cortana said.

"I doubt he'll want to glass a forerunner artifact." Palmer said.

"Not unless it's a threat to his people. We need to tell him about this." Cortana said.

A phantom appeared thru the snow, and hovered just above the group.

"Hurry, Spartans. The Arbiter wants to talk to you." the pilot said.

"About what?" Halsey asked, as they boarded the dropship.

"About what you found. He's curious." The pilot said.

"What a coincidence. We also need to tell him about what we found." Palmer said.

"What did you find?" the pilot asked.

"A threat to your people. The sooner we destroy it, the better." Chief said.

The flight would take several hours, so the group got some rest. John was seen resting against a bulkhead. Cortana appeared in her hard-light form and knelt next to him. She corrected the Spartan's position, so she was holding him in her lap.

She removed his helmet and proceeded to stroke his hair in a loving manner. Palmer, Tucker, and Halsey looked with worry. Would the lethal Spartan snap and attack Cortana out of defense?

"Well, look at that." Palmer said.

"I know." Halsey said, with a tinge of jealousy. Cortana and Chief, who were more machine than human, were close as two humans could be. Halsey never had that closeness for most of her life. Not with Captain Keyes, nor with her deceased daughter. Sure, the covenant was to blame, but humanity was still in a bad situation, and Cortana and Chief were involved without a care in the world.

Chief chuckled and opened his eyes.

"Something funny, big guy?" Cortana asked.

"Just remembering something. It was after we stopped the didact. I was serving on Infinity with blue team, when Palmer and my team have been ordered for a black ops mission. So, Lasky has this girlfriend. Long distance relationship." Chief lied.

Cortana subtly raised an eyebrow, knowing he was referring to Palmer. But she didn't say anything, letting Chief continue.

 _Flashback_

 _Months ago_

" _Chief, I have something for you to do." Lasky said._

" _Yes, sir." Chief said._

 _Lasky pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to the chief._

" _My girlfriend. It's long distance, and I don't think it'll work. I want to destroy this, but I don't have the willpower to do it." Lasky said._

 _Chief snatched the paper out of the captain's hand, and tore it in front of him._

" _You're doing yourself a favor." Chief said, with a hint of bitterness in his voice. He was still hurting after Cortana._

"Couple months pass, and Lasky asks me about the paper." Chief continued.

" _Where's the paper, Chief?" Lasky asked, as Chief was getting a large bowl of cereal ready._

" _You ordered me not to give it to you." Chief said, getting a jug of milk._

" _I'm ordering you to give it to me now." Lasky said._

 _Chief tossed the pieces of paper in the air, and watched as Lasky frantically scrambled to collect the pieces that were now on the floor._

" _Look what you've stooped to, captain. Look in the mirror. Because you need help. I'm a machine, and it's turning me up inside!" Chief exclaimed._

 _John walked out of the room, then came back and grabbed his large bowl of cereal._

"That was an interesting story. What about the girlfriend?" Cortana asked.

"Don't know. Not interested in that." John said.

Beneath her helmet, Palmer fidgeted. Sure, Lasky and Palmer weren't physical, and regulations would prohibit any such actions. But the threat and worry was still there. But if Chief and Cortana could have a relationship, so could they.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5

Landing at the capital, they headed towards the Arbiter.

"Yank me, Chief." Cortana said.

John pulled out the AI chip, and Cortana appeared in her 'human' form.

"You'll get frostbite if you stay out to long." Halsey jokingly said.

Cortana held her hands out, feeling the snow touch her, much like a flesh and blood person would.

"This feels incredible." Cortana said.

 _I'll never know if it looks real. Or if it feels real… promise me you'll figure out which one of us is the machine._

Chief winced at those words. Cortana reached out to him in her time of need, and he unintentionally pushed her away.

John didn't take his helmet off, but instead removed the armor on his hands. He grabbed some of the snow, and let it rest in his hands.

"That stuff is cold. No wonder they froze to death." John said.

"Who froze to death?" Cortana asked.

"During the war, the Covenant attacked an ice planet. It was freezing, and the covenant didn't have orbital support during the time. Snipers and ski troops picked them off, and the freezing cold did the rest." John said.

"That's nice to know." Palmer said.

To everyone's surprise and amusement, Cortana lay in the snow and moved her arms and legs to make a snow angel. John could only smile under his helmet.

"Chief, your turn to make a snow angel." Cortana said, getting up.

Chief grabbed Palmer's two plasma rifles and aimed them at the snow. He then fired them in a precise pattern, watching the heat melt the snow. When he was done, he handed the rifles back.

"That's how a Spartan makes a snow angel." Chief smirked.

"Nice to see you're adjusting to normal activities." Halsey said.

"You created him." Palmer retorted.

 _Come on, Chief. Take a girl for a ride._

Chief pulled Cortana closer, and she rested her head against his armor.

"Chief, I hate to interrupt you and Cortana's honeymoon, but we'll be approaching the Arbiter soon." Palmer said.

"If it was a honeymoon, me and Chief would be fucking. A lot." Cortana said.

"Cortana." John said, as she went in the data chip.

"Just saying. Palmer needs to get laid." Cortana said.

"It would help her attitude problem." Halsey added.

Both Spartans facepalmed at the same time.

"I hope there's some covenant left to fight." John said.

Thel watched as the trio approached him. The middle figure caught his attention.

"Spartan." He said.

"Arbiter. It's good to see you again." Chief said, approaching him.

"You two, Spartan." Thel said, shaking his hand.

"Arbiter, we've encountered a forerunner artifact. I suggest you destroy it." Cortana voiced.

"What kind of artifact?" Thel asked.

They entered the Arbiter's tent, and Chief plugged in the data chip. Cortana appeared, along with the guardian.

"This is what the Forerunner's call a guardian. It is used to patrol galaxies and planets. It's capable of great power and destruction." Cortana said.

"The covenant will not get a hold of this. They're on their last legs, and we'll crush them." Thel said.

"Arbiter, if we try to activate this, it could turn against us and destroy the planet. I recommend we destroy it via glassing." Cortana said.

Arbiter glowered at the AI.

"You suggest we destroy something we could use against our enemies?" Thel asked.

"You know damn well what the Didact did when he captured the composer! What would stop him from destroying Sanghelios once he was done with Earth?" Cortana asked.

Thel quieted, knowing the full story.

"Very well. Once we're done with the Covenant, we'll destroy this guardian." Thel said.

"When do you need us?" Chief asked.

"The Covenant are on their last legs. We can handle them. But if what you're saying is true, then you'll need to destroy this guardian. You Spartans will have to handle this." Arbiter said.

"We'll need one of your capital ships. Unless you want a nuke detonated on your own soil." Chief pointed out.

"You'll have my assault carrier." Arbiter said.

"Thanks. We owe you one." Halsey said.

As the humans headed to the shipyards, Chief and Cortana spoke.

"Well, Cortana. You wanted me to take you for a ride." Chief whispered to her.

Cortana laughed uncontrollably, startling everyone else except the chief.

"Of course, Admiral. I can see your next position. Sitting in the captain's chair of a covenant or UNSC warship, giving orders to the crew." Cortana said.

"After we stopped the didact, I was briefed by UNSC higher ups. Hood said I could have any rank I wanted, including admiral." Chief said.

"A Spartan admiral. Now that would be something." Cortana said.

"If you two are done with your pillow talk, we have a ship to take." Palmer said.

…

 _Shadow of Intent-CAS assault carrier_

The ship was ran with a minimum crew, and the humans were on the bridge.

"Never thought I'd be serving on a covenant warship." Buck said.

"Things change, Buck." Lock said.

Chief sat in the captains chair, having the same thoughts as Buck. He was leading the Spartans for his entire military life. Now, he was commanding one of the most powerful ships in the galaxy.

"Admiral fits you nice, Chief." Cortana said, appearing next to him.

"Cortana, patch me into the ship. Have to make a message." Chief said.

"You're in, Chief." Cortana said.

"This is the Captain. We've discovered a forerunner threat in the southern continent, near the south pole. We will glass the area until the threat is gone. If anyone has problems, leave the ship now." John said, cutting the comms.

No-one left, much to the Chief's relief, and confusion. He'd rather not push his luck, and ordered the ship into high orbit.

"You think the arbiter will let us keep her?" Buck asked.

"Doubt it. Property of the Vadam keep." Vale replied.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6

The assault carrier hovered over the guardian in orbit. Arming the excavation beam, Cortana waited for John's word.

"Burn them." John said.

The glassing beam fired and cut into the frozen surface, burning right into the guardian.

"Cortana, how long?" John asked.

"A few hours, chief." Cortana said.

"Any sign of retaliation?" Chief asked.

"Nothing. The guardian is inert at the moment." Cortana replied.

The next few hours were uneventful. Cortana had to cut the glassing several times to avoid destroying the engines.

"Chief, I'm getting multiple detonation on the guardian. We did it." Cortana said.

"Chief, I'm getting a message from Infinity." Locke said.

"Lets hear it." John answered.

"Chief, this is captain Lasky. We've been recalled to the colony Meridian. Jackal and Brute pirates are attacking. You'll have to stay on the elite home world for a little longer." Lasky said.

The comms were cut, and the bridge was silent.

"Inform the Arbiter of the situation. I'm taking the ship to Meridian." Chief said.

Arbiter soon responded.

"Spartan, you saved the galaxy from the flood, the halo rings, and the didact. Giving you the ship for temporal use is the least we can do. Just bring her back in one piece." Thel said.

"Thanks. Helm, take us to Meridian." Chief ordered.

The assault carrier headed to the insurrectionist planet, and Chief wondered how he was going to explain this.

"I can see the conversation going well. Captain Lasky, this is Sierra 117. Arbiter gave me command of an elite warship." Halsey said.

"As long as they don't shoot first." Buck added.

Night came, and the crew headed to their bunks. John was busy studying Meridian, and it did not sit well with him.

"It's a damn innie colony." John said.

"You want to still save them, or abandon them to the covenant?" Cortana asked.

John remembered when he and his Spartans abandoned another innie colony to the Covenant. He justified the action, telling himself they couldn't afford to fight the covenant fleet, and they needed the captured carrier to destroy the massive shipyards the covenant had.

"They're still humans. And saving their asses from their deserved fate may change their opinion." John said.

"Deserved fate. Interesting phrase, considering we know what brutes and jackals do to human prisoners." Cortana said.

"I know." John said, pulling Cortana in for a kiss. The two continued their kissing, and John lay on his back with Cortana straddling him. A mischievous look appeared in her eyes, and she lowered her head.

"Cortana what are you…" John never finished his sentence, as Cortana started to give him head. He controlled his breathing, yet the feelings of pleasure and sensuality were overwhelming, even to the Spartan.

"Oh god, Cortana. Where did you learn…" John said, as she sucked him from tip to base. His heartbeat was racing, though he calmed it down, not wanting to give himself a heart attack. He felt his cock twitch and squirm, and shot his sperm down Cortana's throat.

"Mind returning the favor?" Cortana asked.

John only nodded, and watched as Cortana sat on his face, her crotch against his mouth. Chief stuck his tongue inside her, and raised an eyebrow at the feeling. Cortana grabbed his head and pushed it further inside.

"Right there, John." Cortana sighed, rocking her hips back and forth. John licked Cortana's vulva and put his tongue inside her. Cortana's figure changed color from blue to pink. She climaxed, and lay next to John.

"You must have experience with that." Cortana said.

"Nope. First time." John said.

"Really? You never experimented with Kelly or Linda?" Cortana asked.

"No." John said.

That morning, Halsey walked in the Chief's quarters, seeing Cortana sitting in a chair reading a book.

"Cortana, where's John?" Halsey asked.

 _Do you think the master chief was at his core, broken?!_

 _Do you think their lack of basic humanity helped?_

 _Spartans have shown sociopathic tendencies. Difficulty associating with others…_

"Right here, Halsey." John said, coming out of the shower wearing a bathrobe.

Halsey could only gape at his physique for a second. And he was covered with scars.

"Well, it's nice to see you two are getting along." Halsey said.

"Yes, it is good." Cortana said, a large grin on her face.

"I know that grin. It's the 'I had great sex last night' grin." Halsey said.

"Well, you're welcome to join us if you want, Halsey. He's very good." Cortana said.

"Dr, you asked me for something." John said, wondering if Cortana was truly cured of her rampancy.

"An ONI prowler is trailing us. And it's hailing us." Halsey said.

"What's the message?" Cortana asked.

Halsey handed Cortana the pad and watched as she activated the message.

' _This is Captain Dare, to the Shadow of Intent. Respond.'_

"Pull them into the hanger bay. Have fire team Osiris bring them here to the bridge." John said.

The prowler was pulled into the alien carrier, and Dare was surprised to see Spartans aiming rifles at them.

"I want to see your captain." Dare said.

"He's on the bridge. And if you want to stay alive, you'll follow his orders." Agent Lock said.

"Nice to see you, Veronica. Wish it was under better circumstances." Buck said.

The ONI agents were led to the bridge, and they were surprised to see the Master Chief sitting in the captain's chair, which revolved to face them.

"What are you doing here?" John asked.

"It's classified." Dare said.

"The Elites are well practiced in taking information from anyone. Tell us, or I'll have them break you." John threatened.

Dare didn't know if it was true or not. But she was seeing the top Spartan, in command of a covenant assault carrier. She didn't want to experience what he was capable of.

"I'll tell you." She said.

"My quarters." John said.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 7

Dare, her team, John, and Osiris were in the Chief's quarters.

"We've received word that there is some forerunner tech beneath the planet. We need to make sure it doesn't fall into enemy hands." Dare said.

"Several problems with that. The planet is an innie controlled world. Doubt they'll want us to take it. And we also have to prevent the brutes and jackals from taking it. And while you ONI spooks are examining it, we'll be spilling our blood fighting against both human and covenant enemies. Besides, this forerunner artifact may already be hostile to us." Cortana said.

"That's one hell of an assumption." Dare said.

"Cortana, show them the footage of Ivanoff Station, when the composer was used." John said.

' _The Didact has taken the composer.'_

' _Get these people to the evac station! Cortana, search the hangers. Find something that can carry a payload.' Chief said, inserting Cortana in a consol._

' _Cortana, can you access the station's defense systems?' Chief asked, seeing MAC guns near the forerunner weapon._

' _They're not responding.' Cortana said._

' _Wait. Something's happening.' Tillson said._

' _Cortana.' Chief urged._

 _The composer surged in power, about to strike._

' _Chief it's…' Cortana started._

 _The weapon fired, and the scientists were the first to be composed, broken down to digitalized form. Chief watched Tillson be composed, right in front of his eyes._

 _John fell unconscious and woke up later. He saw piles of ashes where humans once stood._

"That's what we might be up against." John said.

Dare and her fellow agents didn't speak. All the information was highly classified.

"Cortana… you know this information is classified. Right?" Dare asked, trying to get her bravado back.

"I know it's classified." Cortana said.

"Cortana, when this is all over, we'd like to examine you." Dare said.

"Why?" John asked, yet knowing the answer.

"In case you haven't noticed Chief, she's metastable. Whatever cured her, can fix the problems of rampancy." Dare said.

"I have noticed. And that's up to her." John said.

"She's property of the UNSC. The leader of ONI, Osman will be interested in her." Dare said.

"I'm not giving her up. They'll dissect and kill her." John said.

"I understand if you're close to her…" Dare started.

"Dare, here's something you should know. Me and Chief are lovers, and he went thru hell and back to find me. The Spartan 4s are calling him 'Baba Yaga.'" Cortana said, appearing in view.

"The boogey man?" Buck asked.

"I'm what you'd send to kill the boogey man. You saw that movie John Wick? What he did when the mob killed his dog?" John asked.

"Yes. Great movie." Locke said.

"Just something to think about." Chief calmly said.

"You're scary, Chief." Buck said.

"I suggest we all get some rest. And if you agents try and do something, such as sabotage the ship… I'll kill you. Slowly and painfully." John said.

Cortana watched as John slept, something she found herself doing more and more often. She knew she could easily figure out what he was dreaming thanks to the neural interface, but decided not to. Better to let her imagination do the work.

' _I used to love watching you sleep. Waiting for you to wake up made me feel like anything could happen next.'_

If she were fully human, Cortana knew she'd have some tears right now. The two were together, and for the moment it was enough.

"My sword and shield." She said, leaning forward and kissing John while he was in a deep sleep.

Cortana could only laugh at the irony. When she was first introduced to Chief, she learned all she could about him, and vowed to protect him from harm. She helped him survive the Colonel's rigged test and guided him thru the chaos of the first two Halo rings.

And yet the Spartan was ordered to make sure she didn't fall into enemy hands, which he did. He even went thru what many would consider a true hell, rescuing her. He defied orders from Del Rio and tore across Requiem to find her. And now it seemed he would turn against ONI to protect her.

"Who's the sword, and who's the shield? Me, you? Or both?"

Meanwhile, Dare was wondering about her secret orders from Osman.

"He went thru a flood-infested hellhole to rescue Cortana. God knows what he's capable of. And since he survived the composer, who knows what he can do." She said to herself.

"And the two are lovers. How is that possible?" she wondered aloud.


End file.
